


we were so beautiful [ON HOLD]

by trashiestofthemall



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, I hate myself for this, M/M, it's lowkey a 5+1 fic, real sad at the end, seungmin-centric, tags updated as i go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:28:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25024705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashiestofthemall/pseuds/trashiestofthemall
Summary: Seungmin was forced into the role of managing the three rascals that he would lovingly call his best friends [in private, of course.] They were loud, they were chaotic, they were embarrassing, but one thing was for sure; They were family.And yet Seungmin’s here, on this bridge that once held the memories of the ones that he loved the most.Alternatively: The many times Seungmin supported his best friends who needed him, and the one time they didn’t.
Relationships: Bang Chan & Hwang Hyunjin, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin
Kudos: 13





	we were so beautiful [ON HOLD]

**_If this is real, take me back to the start then._ **

“Oh my god, it’s so good to see everyone again!” Seungmin looked up from his phone, smiling as he saw the final member of his friend group make his way towards the desk they had dumped their belongings on.

It was a lovely day, the sun’s rays not threatening to cook them alive, sunny but at the same time not too cold. In his opinion, it was the optimal level for some level of productiveness, and it was as if God had heard his prayers for some good weather when he planned to meet up with his close knit friend group of four years and counting. The ragtag group, met back in high school, and were currently all in different colleges. 

The squirrel-looking boy who had sat beside him went by the name of Han Jisung. Seungmin remembers meeting the shy boy one day at the back of the school bus, head buried in a thick book [“It’s a classic! Harry Potter,” the shorter grinned at Seungmin, before diving right back into the story.] Seungmin, taken aback by the younger’s sudden gesture, only gave him a small grin in return before settling in the seat next to the boy. Since then, they sat together every morning on the way to school, sharing earpieces on the way to school to listen to some music. Everyday, they played one song from Seungmin and one from Jisung, and decided to create a shared playlist after a while. It was nice, understanding their differences and similarities. For one, both were incredibly introverted, but had opened up to each other because both had similar personalities. The differences lay in song preferences, where Seungmin heavily praised Day6, and Jisung would counter with his favourite tracks from 3Racha, a small rap group on Soundcloud. And while Seungmin never understood the boy completely, he was thankful that he had chosen to open up to him in the first place.

Next up was the extroverted Australian, Lee Felix, who had jumped up from where he leaned comfortably onto the eldest. He had only transferred to the school due to his parents moving into the area for work, and was tossed into an unfamiliar sea of faces the first time he set foot onto the school bus. Fortunately for him, Seungmin had noticed his apparent discomfort and fear, hence quickly waving at him from the last row that was unoccupied, with the exception of Jisung and him. The naturally blond boy smiled, strode to the back of the bus and sat down immediately, giving Seungmin a toothy grin and a loud ‘thank you’. Seungmin was glad that the boy had looked way more comfortable than before, and offered him a hand in return. 

“I’m guessing you’re new around here,” Seungmin started, his voice causing Jisung to look up and face their new friend, “I’m Kim Seungmin, and this is my friend Han Jisung, we’re both ‘00 liners. What about you?”

The blond took Seungmin’s hands and shook them gently, “I’m Lee Felix, and I just moved from Australia. I’m not very good at Korean, and I’m the same age,” he stumbled over his words, worried gaze meeting Seungmin’s calm one. 

“ _ Don’t worry, I know English because I used to study in Malaysia,”  _ Jisung suddenly piped, leaning into their space. “ _ I know it too, I'm studying English right now. We’ll help you,”  _ the eldest of the three added, a gentle smile gracing his lips. 

Felix soon became the loudest of the trio, bringing out the noisier side of Jisung that Seungmin had yet to experience. Turns out, Felix and Jisung were also very similar, they were constantly attributed to an animal [“We’re the dog, cat and squirrel kids,” Felix pointed to Seungmin, himself, and Jisung accordingly, before the three exploded into laughter.] and loved cheese flavoured things. Cheese ramen, cheese cake, macaroni and cheese. If it’s flavoured or lathered in the delicious topping the duo somewhat worshipped, they would eat it. Seungmin will forever remember the day cheese cake was served for dessert in school, the two cheese fanatics had consumed so much of it that they were sent home due to terrible stomach aches, and with the discovery that Felix himself was lactose intolerant.

Yeah, Seungmin does not want to recall the memory of Felix and Jisung hanging off his arms as he dragged the idiots of the year to the nurse’s office.

The voice that was calling out to them only became louder, belonging to none other than Hwang Hyunjin. He was the last one to join their little school bus squad, and guess where they had met for the first time? Of course, it was the school bus. Hyunjin too had just transferred to the school, but the thing that stood out about him from the rest of the group of friends was the fact that he was pretty. Like, prettier than girls pretty. With clear skin and a friendly smile, it wasn’t uncommon that students would swarm him the first time he set foot on the bus. To many’s dismay, he headed for the last available seat in the back row. The trio, at the time, were too distracted by the game on Felix’s phone to notice the new person slipping into the empty seat beside them. It was only when he had leaned over Felix, eyes twinkling at the tiny screen, when they had realised of his existence. 

“Hey, is that Minecraft?” Seungmin, Felix, and Jisung jumped simultaneously, clearly unaware of the new addition to their row. 

Seungmin, the apparent leader of the trio, was the first to respond, “It sure is. Are you new? I’ve never seen you around here. I’m Seungmin, this is Jisung and Felix.”

“Just moved into town last week. I’m Hwang Hyunjin. I’m assuming we’re all the same age from the name tags?” Jisung’s eyes flitted over to Hyunjin’s yellow pin-on tag, and smiled cheekily. 

“We sure are. You’re part of us now.”

It was as if the second oldest was the missing puzzle piece to their little family. He didn’t even feel like an addition, a new person, rather, it felt like he had always been there from the very start. Seungmin could have never imagined the days he’d spent on the bus without the presence of his now extroverted friends. He still wonders how he had managed to drown out the unbearable silence that filled the bus in the mornings, that had now been replaced by Jisung’s muffled giggles, Felix’s commentary, and Hyunjin’s over-exaggerated hand gestures. 

For once in his life, Seungmin felt like he was home.

“God, I missed you all so much! Jisung-ah, did you get buff or is it just me?” Hyunjin’s voice brought him back to reality. 

The squirrel of the group puffed out his cheeks and attempted to flex his muscles. “Yes, and what about it? I bet I could beat you in an arm wrestle. Should we settle it right here and right now?” 

The challenger huffed, and rolled up his sleeves. “Alright, the loser shall pay the price of our wills to live.”

“Hey Seungmin?” Felix leaned over, whispering in his ear, “I’m betting Hyunjin wins. He’s always been the strongest out of all of us,” the Australian giggling at the sight of their friends getting riled up over a trivial matter. 

The eldest only smirked at the younger, now rose-haired, boy, “No way in hell, Jisung’s going to own his ass.”

And who was Jisung to fail him? 

The small championship ended with Hyunjin being sent away to pay for their drinks, while the three waited in their seats comfortably. He deserved it; Not only was he ‘fashionably’ late, he had always leeched off everyone’s belongings back when they shared a dorm together. It took Seungmin’s hair treatment shampoo, Felix’s clothes and Jisung’s stash of cinnamon crunch. He also had always conveniently forgot to bring his wallet out whenever he left the dorms, leaving the boys to have to spend their precious pocket money on the ‘careless’ boy. Now that they were all in different colleges, and had their own little part time jobs, they were able to save some extra cash on the side. Clearly, no one had warned them of the money-sucking life they were about to embark on, and all of them had a rough start in that chapter of their lives. Nonetheless, they now sit at the edge of their seats, snickering as Hyunjin sadly pulled out his card to pay for their overpriced cups of sugary goodness from Starbucks.

“Thank you for the treat, Hyunjinnie. You truly are the best example of a good hyung,” Felix patted the boy’s head, ducking after anticipating the older’s slap to his forehead. 

It warmed Seungin’s heart to see their playful banters after half a year without any physical meet-ups or hangouts. After graduation, they got dinner at McDonalds and cried over Oreo Mcflurries, all concerned about how their lives were about to change drastically. While they had all shared similarities, all their aspirations laid in different occupations, hence, they had applied and been accepted into different colleges. Not even one of them shared the shame school, and the thought of losing their close-knit friendship was simply heart-breaking. After making a pact that they would stay together [forever, Seungmin had hoped], the crew had split ways, each taking the next step towards their goal in life. 

Jisung had always wanted to pursue journalism, inspired by his mother. Felix’s agile and adaptable body had proved suitable for an arts college, and the thought of becoming a full time dancer was something he had always wished for. Hyunjin’s decision had shocked them all, as he had opted to become a paediatrician, always having a soft spot for taking care of children. Last but not least, Seungmin’s trusty DSLR camera that constantly hung around his neck gave it away that he wanted to major in photography, enamoured by the way a single click could capture a memory forever. 

He remembers the four of them, huddled around the tiny table located in the shared space of their dorms. Their high school had the option for those in their final year to dorm with their friends, so as to make the most of their final moments together, in the words of the principal himself. Their individual acceptance letters laid in their hands respectively, envelopes ripped open just moments before. Their futures had been sealed, and it was time to go. Seungmin could not believe that his time in high school was over just like that; His three best friends had stayed by his side all the way till the end, and he was hoping they would through the next phases of their life. The one thing he remembered that night, was the certainty that they would be there, forever and ever. 

Coming back to his current dilemma, whether he should help Jisung with his essay, or whether he should assist Felix with his calculus. Or maybe put his photography skills to use and take some aesthetic pictures to fit in with Hyunjin’s minimalist feed. Perhaps he could actually put the time into completing his newly assigned project on a topic he never understood, let alone experienced in the way he thought. 

Love. 

Seungmin has always associated the feeling with romance, romantic love, boyfriends, girlfriends, The Notebook, all that jazz. [He respects everyone and their preferences.] To be fair, he didn’t experience a lot of family love; Seungmin was an orphan, found on the doorstep of an orphanage of its lovely owner by the name of Nayeon. She had immediately taken him in, proceeding to take care of him as if he were her own child. He had felt forever indebted towards the kind hearted woman, and always came back to do volunteer work with the children there. Thus, Seungmin’s perception of love was what he watched in the movies, or what he saw around him.

Hand holding, pecks on the cheeks. Dusting of red on someone’s face, cosy dates.

Seungmin had also not experienced any crushes, nor had he ever dated. The idea really wasn’t a priority to him, as his ultimate dream was to pursue a stable photography career in the rough industry. He didn’t mind when any of his best friends had a partner however, it was normal to see Hyunjin or Felix around with a new face every few weeks or so. It was normal for him to see Minho, Jisung’s boyfriend, pop in on their weekly video calls too. Dating wasn’t something he was afraid or ashamed of either, but he didn’t mind it. Seungmin came to terms that he just wasn’t interested in dating yet.

For once, they managed to schedule a small study session with just the four of them. No significant others, no classes to rush off too, just a perfect Sunday. Seungmin could not have been any happier, already ecstatic that he could finally have a proper reunion with his best friends. After staring at his screen for a few more minutes, he groaned, face-palming. 

Hyunjin, the boy he had been closest to out of the group, leaned over, “Hey, are you okay? You’ve been staring at the screen for quite some time, and not to mention the dying whale sound you just let out.” 

“Just a little stressed over this project, that’s all,” Seungmin sighed before sipping his drink, “It’s on a topic I just don’t know how to represent.”

“What is it? Maybe we can help!” Felix exclaimed. “Yeah, I’m a master of words that can be translated into pictures. You know what they say, a picture tells a thousand words, and I wrote that 24K fanfiction the other day.”

“I don’t think that’s relevant, but go off I guess.”

“Hey, that was a magnificent feat for a broke, dying college student.”

“Definitely not for a weeb!”

“Shut up! You clearly don’t understand the art-”

“Guys,” Hyunjin snapped in front of the two youngest members of the group, expressions now sheepish, ‘We’re losing focus on the subject here. Seungmin, what’s your project about?”

“Well, it’s love,” he chose to ignore Jisung beginning to hum the notes of Careless Whisper into his ears, “I’ve never really experienced it before.” Now that caused all the boys to go silent, the buzz of their surroundings suddenly amplified. 

“I think what you mean is romantic love, Seungmin,” Felix commented, “Haven’t we been showing and giving you enough love? Our platonic love?”

The boy that was being addressed tilted his head slightly, mildly confused. “Platonic love?”

“Yes, also known as  _ friend _ love. I think you call it care and concern, but we call it love. Do you not remember the days when we ended our video calls with ‘I love you’?”

“I thought you were talking to your partners,” Seungmin earned a firm karate chop to his head, courtesy of Felix. 

“You idiot! We were talking to each other. Oh my god, I can’t believe this, we’ve been friend-zoned. Guess we were never meant to be besties,” Felix fake-sobbed loudly, Jisung playing along to stroke his back. Hyunjin, the most sane of them all, rolled his eyes at the duo before speaking up again.

“You know what? I think we can help you with your project,” Seungmin’s eyes twinkled at the sound of his graded project getting completed.

“Really? You guys know how to help me?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll show you what love really is, and maybe then you’ll be able to get it through your thick skull,” Hyunjin’s bright grin made the eldest smile in return, before his face morphed into irritation. 

“Thick skull? You’re the one who couldn’t see your boyfriend had been painfully obvious about his crush on you since the first day of school!” Hyunjin’s eyes widened as he got up from his seat and ran out of the establishment, a fuming Seungmin hot on his trail. Felix and Jisung could only stare at the door and at each other in shock, before chuckling, hands returning to their original positions on their laptops.

“They couldn’t have run too far, we’ll just wait for them here.”

“Sure thing, I’m convinced that Hyunjin’s clumsiness probably got the better of him anyway. Seungmin’s a demon when he’s pissed.”


End file.
